Withdrawal from literacy classes: a study of adult male samples from Botswana, Kenya and Malawi

Adult withdrawal from literacy classes before skills of reading, writing and arithmetic are acquired continues to be a major concern in most adult literacy programmes and campaigns. Available data seem to suggest that men more than women withdraw from literacy classes. The purpose of this study was to explore the reasons which are given by adult males for withdrawing from literacy classes. Samples of adult males who had withdrawn from literacy classes in Botswana, Kenya and Malawi were traced and interviewed. The study found that inconvenient timing and location of classes, and searching for jobs to earn money, were the principal contributors to adult male withdrawal from literacy classes in the three countries.